Seeding Rates for Perennial Native Warm-Season Herbaceous Legumes for Forage Production in the Southern Great Plains.

North American native warm-season herbaceous perennial legumes panicled tick-clover [Desmodium paniculatum (L.) DC.)] and tall bush-clover (Lespedeza stuevei Nutt) have persisted well in initial studies of forage nutritive value, forage yields and seed yields in Stephenville, TX. However, these studies were transplanted by hand as seedlings and seeding rates have not been determined. Replicated plots were seeded in spring of 2008 using a Hege 1000 small-plot no-till seeder. Four seeding rates of 1.12, 2.24, 3.36, and 4.48 kg ha-1 for tall bush-clover and 4.2, 8.4, 12.6, and 16.8 kg ha-1 for panicled tick-clover were evaluated. Plant numbers where counted after germination Year 1 and after regrowth in spring of Year 2 to determine number of surviving plants per square meter. Plant numbers were affected by seeding rate treatments for both species (P<0.05). Tall bush-clover resulted in 6, 18, 22, and 30 plants per m2, respectively and panicled tick-clover resulted in 7, 14, 17, and 19 plants per m2, respectively. Both species were harvest in June of Year 2 before flowering. Tall bush-clover yielded 110, 670, 870, and 1130 kg ha-1, respectively (P<0.05) and panicled tick-clover yielded 2400, 3050, 3510, and 3850 kg ha-1, respectively (P<0.05). Development of these native herbaceous legumes that can be established from seed in north-central Texas can be used in pastures, rangeland, wildlife habitat and prairie restoration.